Déjà Vu (Part D)

After taking ten steps down the dark alley, another group appeared before them. Men and women in thick jackets with angry faces blocked their path. Escape seemed impossible. He scanned the walls for a way out—climbing was their only hope. The walls had a few windows, protruding bricks, stones, and electrical cables stretching between buildings that could serve as handholds. Yet the surfaces looked damp and slippery, with loose bricks scattered throughout. Though he was confident in his own climbing ability, getting Ran up these treacherous walls would be impossible. The young girl lacked both equipment and experience for such a climb, judging by her appearance."What are you waiting for, start climbing now!" Geminga cried in panic, sensing the approaching danger."What about Ran? What will happen to her? Who knows what they'll do to her!" he protested, his voice thick with fear and concern."Leave the girl, Pedal! Look, we have no quarrel with you. She's all we want, we won't harm you. Nothing to worry about." said a man in his forties, menacingly swinging an iron rod."You must leave the girl behind. We can continue our journey without her. Our own lives are more valuable than anything!" Geminga urged."What do you want with the girl?" the man growled through clenched teeth."We'll sell her to the highest bidder, of course." the man said with an echoing laugh."I'll kill you all!" the man roared. Despite Geminga's warning cries, he gripped Ran's arm and, as the threatening crowd advanced, hurled her toward a small balcony several meters above. His own strength surprised him.In one fluid motion, he pushed off the wall and launched himself toward the balcony, grabbing the metal railing. The rusted structure groaned under their weight, tilting downward as its screws loosened. Just as he prepared to pull himself up, a gunshot cracked through the silence. First came the impact, then searing pain in his thigh. As the bullet tore through flesh, his muscles spasmed, throwing him off balance. The weakened balcony couldn't withstand this sudden movement—with a final metallic shriek, it tore from the wall.He crashed hard onto his back, the impact forcing all air from his lungs. Sharp pain shot through his head as it struck the ground. Though he fought to keep his eyes open, everything blurred into a haze of shapes and colors. A constant ringing filled his ears, making the surrounding shouts and footsteps sound distant and muffled, as if underwater. Time lost all meaning as his consciousness faded."You really did a magnificent job." Geminga said sarcastically."What... what happened?" he mumbled, struggling to rise. Though his head throbbed, the burning pain in his thigh overshadowed everything. Blood seeped from the wound."You were shot and hit your head when you fell. You were unconscious for about thirty minutes.""Ran... where's Ran?" he asked, his voice heavy with concern."I couldn't see where they went while you were unconscious. But I heard them taking her away. Forget her now and think about yourself—we're losing blood.""What should I do now?" he asked desperately.Geminga sighed deeply. "First, we need to find a clean cloth and bandage the wound. The bleeding is our biggest concern right now."Through blurry vision, he spotted Ran's bag on the ground. Unable to stand through the pain, he crawled toward it.He searched the bag for anything to dress his wound. Finding only a t-shirt, he carefully tore it into strips and bound his injured leg tightly."Now we urgently need someone with medical knowledge to examine your leg. This gunshot wound is serious—it won't heal properly without treatment.""First we need to find Ran. No matter my condition, I can't abandon her." he said, grimacing as he stood and slung her bag over his shoulder with trembling hands."Give up on the girl. In your condition, you're only putting yourself in danger.""She trusted me... They took her right before my eyes and I did nothing. I'm getting her back, whatever it costs. If you're going to try stopping me, shut up and get out of my way."Geminga heaved a tired sigh. "Please calm down. I'll help you—I have no choice. Though I hate this idea, you're determined. If you're set on this dangerous mission, you'll need my guidance to stay alive.""What's our next move?" he asked firmly, despite his injury."Detective work." Geminga replied carefully. "We must examine every clue.""Where do we start? Time is critical.""Right here." said Geminga. "They left her bag behind—that's significant. Check her wallet, it might tell us something."Following Geminga's instruction, he opened the wallet and found the metal astralis gleaming inside. His face registered surprise."They didn't touch the money." Geminga said in wonder."What does that suggest?""Remember what the man said." Geminga mused. "'We'll sell her to the highest bidder.' But if money was their goal, wouldn't they have taken the wallet, even the whole bag? There must have been considerable value here.""Maybe the gunshot made them flee quickly?" the man suggested, clutching his wounded thigh. "They might have forgotten in their haste.""A gang of thirty people wouldn't all forget something valuable. No, they didn't care about it. This suggests the girl is worth far more to them than mere money.""Damn these bastards!" he snarled. "Come on, where would they go?""The muddy ground works in our favor." said Geminga as the man examined the area. "Though most tracks are mixed, we might find something if we look carefully. Let's check both alley entrances."Fighting through his pain, the man methodically examined both the entrance they'd used and the exit."As expected, most tracks are jumbled from the crowd." he said, studying the ground. "But something's odd.""What kind of odd?""Two people went deep into the alley for the girl. Their tracks stand out from the rest.""What's strange about that?""There are no tracks leading back." Geminga observed. "The footprints end right where we were lying."The man instinctively looked skyward, scanning the rooftops."Could they have gone up?""They don't have your strength." said Geminga. "Besides, we'd see deep footprints or mud marks on the walls if they'd jumped. We need a more logical answer.""Then where?""Below." Geminga stated confidently."Below?" the man echoed, examining the ground intently.Broken pieces of the iron balcony littered the muddy, slippery ground. Despite careful inspection, he found no trace of a hatch or passage—only scattered leaves mixed with mud, rusted metal debris, and puddles collecting against the walls."Even in a dangerous city like Hatrugar, they couldn't kidnap someone so openly in daylight." Geminga explained. "They must use secret passages. While you were unconscious, I heard distinct metal scraping—that supports my theory."The man crouched carefully, balancing on his injured leg as he sifted through the mud with his hands. His fingers probed every inch, searching for metal pieces or unusual protrusions. He examined the entire alley meticulously—from end to end, walls to center—checking every hole, bump, and crack. Yet he found no sign of a hidden passage."I'm certain about the secret passage." said Geminga. "They've likely used the sewer system. We need to find another way in."The detailed investigation had taken only five minutes. With each step, he winced from the sharp pain in his leg, trying to move quickly despite his wound. Though limping and pausing occasionally to catch his breath, his eyes determinedly searched the streets for a sewer grate, desperate to find Ran.After scanning the narrow, dark, damp streets for about ten minutes, he discovered an old, rusted sewer grate. Taking a deep breath and fighting through the pain, he bent down and pulled with all his might. Despite his extraordinary strength and multiple attempts, the metal cover wouldn't budge—years of rust had sealed it shut."You need a special key to open sewer grates. It's impossible without one." called out a young man leaning against an apartment building across the street."Where can I find the key?""You can't. They only give them to sewer workers. But since you're so keen on getting in, there's an entrance through the basement of the building behind me.""Thanks!" said the man, feeling somewhat relieved.The building's door stood open, a slight breeze wafting from inside. An inner voice warned him, "Wait a minute, this looks very suspicious" and continued, "It's not logical for there to be such an easy solution." But the man, ignoring all warnings in his desperate rush to rescue Ran, had already charged inside without checking his surroundings. Before he could process what was happening, the heavy metal door slammed shut behind him, its echo resonating through the corridor."Hey, open the door!" shouted the man while pounding on the door with his fists."I told you to wait!"He found himself in a long, dark corridor. The darkness was so dense he couldn't make out anything beyond a few steps ahead. Water dripped from the damp walls, and a musty smell permeated the air, making the place feel desolate and eerie. A chill breeze from the corridor's depths made the darkness seem even more menacing."There's a flashlight in the girl's bag, use it."Following Geminga's suggestion, he took out the flashlight and switched it on. He was fortunate—one more step and he would have fallen into a hole. Carefully, he edged around it and continued forward.As he passed several rooms, each bore the marks of time and neglect. Garbage bags filled dusty corners, broken chairs leaned against walls, and rusted metal cabinets stood beside rotting wooden tables. Moisture had swollen most furniture, mold had claimed some, and all was beyond use. Paper scraps and old boxes littered the floor, evidence of long abandonment.In a small room's center, a glinting piece of fabric caught his eye. Upon inspection, he recognized it as a torn piece of Ran's dress. His heart racing, he moved toward this proof of her presence. The moment he picked it up, the heavy iron door slammed shut with a thunderous bang, its lock echoing through the room. Before he could react, the floor beneath him trembled slightly, then began splitting apart with an eerie creak."Quick, find something to hold onto!" Geminga shouted.His eyes frantically searched for any protrusion or indentation to grab, but the walls were perfectly smooth, as if deliberately designed without handholds. As panic set in, the room split in half with a horrible creak. The old cabinets and rotted tables tumbled first into the dark void, followed by boxes and debris, until nothing remained.Pressed against the wall, he felt cold stone against his spine. With nowhere left to stand, he instinctively grabbed the only projection beneath his foot. His trembling fingers gripped it tightly, muscles straining as he hung from the last remnant of floor, his life depending on this small outcropping. When his eyes involuntarily glanced down, his skin crawled—below stretched an endless black void where even light vanished.He reached for the flashlight on his belt with his left hand, straining to maintain balance as his fingers trembled. Just as they brushed the cold metal, the floor snapped shut with devastating speed. He tried yanking his hand free, but too late—the closing floor severed his right hand at the wrist. Before the pain registered, he plummeted through the endless dark void. As he fell faster, the walls narrowed like a giant beast's throat. Each impact against the damp walls sent shudders through his body, the friction slightly slowing his descent. New pains bloomed with each collision, leaving him breathless. After an eternity of torturous falling, he crashed onto something soft but foul-smelling.Clutching his severed wrist, he clenched his teeth against screaming until his jaw ached. Dark blood gushed from the wound, each heartbeat pumping out a fresh wave to soak the surface below. Tears streamed down his face as the bleeding continued relentlessly."Stop the bleeding immediately or you'll die! Take off your belt and make a tourniquet on your upper arm close to your elbow!"Too weak from pain to speak, he followed Geminga's instructions. Though difficult, he managed to remove his belt one-handed and tied it tightly above his elbow. The bleeding stopped."Tear the t-shirt from your bag again and wrap it around the open wound. You've already lost enough blood from your leg.""Yes... Everything's spinning... What am I lying on?" he mumbled, slowly standing while holding his severed arm.He stood atop a mountain of corpses. Hundreds of flies swarmed around him, dancing over decaying flesh. The thick stench of carrion hung so sharp it brought tears to his eyes. The sight and smell triggered unbearable nausea, and the man, already dizzy from blood loss, retched onto the bodies. Even his vomit's stench couldn't overpower the horrific odor of decay.While attempting to descend the grotesque pile, his foot caught on greenish, sticky intestines dangling between decomposed bodies. He lost balance and tumbled down the hill of corpses, rolling uncontrollably. Each turn brought new impacts—bodies breaking apart, rotting flesh clinging to him. Every contact intensified his nausea as the sharp decomposition smell suffocated him. He rolled through severed limbs, scattered organs, and half-skeletonized remains, soft tissues crushing beneath his hands. His descent continued through rotting flesh and liquefied organs until he finally splashed into bloody, muddy water.He struggled to his feet, trembling. Fragments of decomposed corpses covered his clothes, blood and mud dripping everywhere. A sticky film coated his body, disgusting fluids trickling with each movement. As he staggered, trying to balance, a spine-chilling rustle rose from the bloody waters around him.With shaking fingers, he reached for his flashlight. He managed to retrieve it one-handed and pressed the button, but it remained dark—damaged from the falls or water. He tried repeatedly, but the device was dead. Alone in the darkness, he heard the rustling grow louder, echoing, approaching from all directions."They've sent us a live one!" whispered a thin, raspy voice that made his skin crawl."I was tired of eating rotting corpses! Fresh meat at last... Still warm, still dripping blood." replied another voice, hoarse and hungry.The sounds echoed from every direction, blending together. The water's rustling grew more frequent, faster. Splashing sounds drew closer from all sides, surrounding him in the darkness."You fool! We're going to die here because of you! We're going to perish in this dark, cursed place, among these disgusting creatures, and you're the only one to blame! If you had listened to me, if you hadn't been so stubborn, we could have been safe now!"A rustle came from the darkness, followed by a shadow. He squinted but could only make out vague shapes. He readied himself to strike, muscles tense and alert, but his blurred vision failed him in the consuming darkness. Something seemed to lunge at him—he swung reflexively but hit only cold, damp air.Moments later, a long, white, skeleton-like creature emerged from the darkness and pounced. The sudden movement sent a draft across his face, carrying the sharp stench of rotting flesh. Though the darkness obscured details, he could see its sickly pale skin. Its long, twisted limbs moved unnaturally—this was no human but a horrific creature that had lost its humanity, evolved in perpetual darkness.The creature's body contorted at impossible angles, bones cracking with each movement, joints twisting unnaturally. Every motion produced crackling sounds, high-pitched noises like grinding bones. It moved with such speed and erratic changes that his eyes couldn't track it.Its teeth sank into his throat, instantly tearing it open. Sharp, needle-like teeth shredded soft tissue as hot blood spurted out forcefully. Each bite tore deeper, ripping through vessels and nerves. He fell into the bloody water with the creature. Cold, murky water filled his lungs as he struggled desperately, each attempted breath drawing in more water and blood. More creatures pounced, each savagely tearing at different parts of his body. Some gnawed his limbs while others ripped into his chest and abdomen. Sharp claws tore through muscle, pointed teeth reaching bone. Pain consumed him until every cell seemed to burn. His vision darkened, colors merged, and his senses failed one by one. As consciousness slipped into cold, bottomless darkness, he tried one final breath but couldn't succeed.